Elderly care and staffing resources
In the West Uusimaa wellbeing services county, elderly care needs significant and immediate improvements. The current situation, where nurses work in constant haste and under scarce resources, does not reflect our society’s values or the dignified treatment of patients. In practice, the staffing level for round-the-clock care must be implemented as seven nurses per ten people in care, and not merely as an entry on paper. This way we ensure that care is not based only on stopwatch-timed tasks, but on genuinely individual encounters.
Home care resources in order
Home care must be increased, but the resources must be realistic, and home care must not become a cost-saving measure where expenses are merely shifted from one place to another. Home care must genuinely serve the interests of older people, be safe, and be sufficiently resourced. The quality of meal services provided in home care is also an important part of dignified treatment – it is completely unsustainable that, for example, the food served in prisons can be of higher quality than in nursing homes or within home care meal services.
Restoring maternity services at Lohja Hospital
The abolition of maternity services at Lohja Hospital has been a significant mistake that jeopardizes patient safety in critical situations. Moving births to other hospitals increases travel times and may place families in unnecessary danger. Savings cannot be a justification for decisions that concern human lives. It is important to listen to local residents and healthcare professionals in decision-making so that services meet the area’s real needs.
Savings by optimizing administration
The financial challenges of wellbeing services counties must be solved by cutting overlapping administrative structures and optimizing the roles and salaries of middle management and top management. Savings targeted at operational staff directly weaken residents’ daily life and safety and are not a sustainable solution. Decision-making must be based on residents’ genuine needs and practicality, not ideology or bureaucracy.
Source: Uusi Suomi
Markku Arvekari
Digital Transformation Expert
